U.S. patent application number 15/037629 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-06 for method for processing vegetables.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cauli-Rice Limited. The applicant listed for this patent is CAULI-RICE LIMITED. Invention is credited to Joanna Misa-Harris, Nigel Parker.
Application Number | 20160286829 15/037629 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49883858 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160286829 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Parker; Nigel ; et
al. |
October 6, 2016 |
Method for Processing Vegetables
Abstract
A method for processing vegetables to reduce unpleasant odor
and/or taste, and/or to minimize discoloration, deterioration,
degradation, or rot over a period of storage time is described. The
method includes: subjecting the vegetable to mechanical size
reduction; heating or freezing the vegetable for a pre-determined
period; and bringing the softened vegetable product into contact
with one or more reactive oxygen species selected from: peroxides;
superoxides; and ozone.
Inventors: |
Parker; Nigel; (Chichester,
GB) ; Misa-Harris; Joanna; (London, GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CAULI-RICE LIMITED |
London |
|
GB |
|
|
Assignee: |
Cauli-Rice Limited
London
GB
|
Family ID: |
49883858 |
Appl. No.: |
15/037629 |
Filed: |
November 18, 2014 |
PCT Filed: |
November 18, 2014 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2014/074894 |
371 Date: |
May 18, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 3/10 20130101; A23L
3/005 20130101; A23L 5/10 20160801; A23B 7/152 20130101; A23L 5/15
20160801; A23L 5/13 20160801; A23B 7/157 20130101; A23L 3/3445
20130101; A23L 3/01 20130101; A23L 5/276 20160801; A23L 3/358
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A23B 7/152 20060101
A23B007/152; A23B 7/157 20060101 A23B007/157; A23L 3/10 20060101
A23L003/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 19, 2013 |
GB |
1320418.5 |
Claims
1. A method for processing vegetables, comprising: i) a dicing step
comprising subjecting the vegetable to mechanical size reduction;
ii) a softening step comprising heating or freezing the vegetable
for a pre-determined period; and iii) a treatment step comprising
bringing the softened vegetable product into contact with one or
more reactive oxygen species selected from: peroxides; superoxides;
and ozone.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the softening step
comprises baking, frying, steaming, boiling, blanching or
microwaving the vegetable.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the softening step
comprises dry frying the vegetable.
4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the softening step
comprises blanching the vegetable.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reactive oxygen
species is hydrogen peroxide.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further
includes a washing step prior to the dicing step.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the washing step includes
contacting the vegetable with an anti-microbial composition,
followed by a rinsing step.
8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further
includes a cooking step in which the treated vegetable product is
heated at a pre-determined temperature for a pre-determined
time.
9. A method according to claim 8 in which the cooking step is
followed by a rapid cooling step in which the cooked vegetable
product is rapidly cooled to stop the cooking process.
10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further
includes a packaging step in which the treated vegetable product is
sealed within a food grade package.
11. A method according to claim 1 in which the vegetable is
cauliflower.
12. A method according to claim 11, in which the vegetable is a
cauliflower head.
13. A processed vegetable product prepared according to the method
of claim 1.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a method for processing
vegetables, in particular cauliflower.
[0002] Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species
Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual
plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head (the white
curd) is eaten. The cauliflower head is composed of a white
inflorescence meristem. Cauliflower heads resemble those in
broccoli, which differs in having flower buds. Its name is from
Latin `caulis` (cabbage) and flower. Brassica oleracea also
includes cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and collard
greens, though they are of different cultivar groups.
[0003] There are four major groups of cauliflower (Crisp, P.
(1982). "The use of an evolutionary scheme for cauliflowers in
screening of genetic resources". Euphytica 31 (3): 725).
[0004] Italian
[0005] Diverse in appearance, and biennial and annual in type, this
group includes white, Romanesco, various green, purple, brown and
yellow cultivars. This type is the ancestral form from which the
others were derived.
[0006] Northwest European Biennial
[0007] Used in Europe for winter and early spring harvest, this was
developed in France in the 19th century, and includes the old
cultivars Roscoff and Angers.
[0008] Northern European Annuals
[0009] Used in Europe and North America for summer and autumn
harvest, it was developed in Germany in the 18th century, and
includes the old cultivars Erfurt and Snowball.
[0010] Asian
[0011] A tropical cauliflower used in China and India, it was
developed in India during the 19th century and includes old
varieties Early Patna and Early Benaras.
[0012] There are hundreds of historic and current commercial
varieties used around the world.
[0013] Cauliflowers are available in different colours: [0014] i.
White, which is the most common colour of cauliflower. [0015] ii.
Orange (B. oleracea L. var. botrytis) which contains 25% more
vitamin A than white varieties. This trait came from a natural
mutant found in a cauliflower field in Canada (Dickson, M. H., Lee
C. Y., Blamble A. E. (1988), "Orange-curd high carotene cauliflower
inbreds, NY 156, NY 163, and NY 165". HortScience 23: 778-779).
Cultivars include `Cheddar` and `Orange Bouquet`. [0016] iii. Green
cauliflower, of the B. oleracea botrytis group, is sometimes called
broccoflower. It is available both with the normal curd shape and a
variant spiky curd called Romanesco broccoli. Both types have been
commercially available in the U.S. and Europe since the early
1990s. Green-curded varieties include `Alverda`, `Green Goddess`
and `Vorda`. Romanesco varieties include `Minaret` and `Veronica`.
[0017] iv. Purple cauliflower, the colour of which is caused by the
presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanins, which can also be
found in red cabbage and red wine (Chiu, L., Prior, R. L., Wu, X.,
Li, L. (Jul. 16, 2005), "Toward Identification of the Candidate
Gene Controlling Anthocyanin Accumulation in Purple Cauliflower
(Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis)". American Society of Plant
Biologists Annual Meeting. p. 628). Varieties include `Graffiti`
and `Purple Cape`. In Great Britain and southern Italy, a broccoli
with tiny flower buds is sold as a vegetable under the name "purple
cauliflower". However, it is not the same as cauliflower with a
purple curd.
[0018] Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates but high in
dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C. It possesses a high
nutritional density. Approximate nutritional data is provided in
Table 1
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Nutritional data for cauliflower Nutritional
value per 100 g (3.5 oz) Energy 104 kJ (25 kcal) Carbohydrates 5 g
Sugars 1.9 g Dietary fiber 2 g Fat 0.3 g Protein 1.9 g Water 92 g
Thiamine (vit. B.sub.1) 0.05 mg (4%) Riboflavin (vit. B.sub.2) 0.06
mg (5%) Niacin (vit. B.sub.3) 0.507 mg (3%) Pantothenic acid
(B.sub.5) 0.667 mg (13%) Vitamin B.sub.6 0.184 mg (14%) Folate
(vit. B.sub.9) 57 .mu.g (14%) Vitamin C 48.2 mg (58%) Vitamin E
0.08 mg (1%) Vitamin K 15.5 .mu.g (15%) Calcium 22 mg (2%) Iron
0.42 mg (3%) Magnesium 15 mg (4%) Manganese 0.155 mg (7%)
Phosphorus 44 mg (6%) Potassium 299 mg (6%) Sodium 30 mg (2%) Zinc
0.27 mg (3%)
[0019] Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals, common in the
cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health, such as
sulforaphane (Liu, R H (2004) "Potential synergy of phytochemicals
in cancer prevention: mechanism of action", The Journal of
nutrition 134 (12 Suppl): 3479S-3485S). A high intake of
cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive
prostate cancer (Kirsh V A, Peters U, Mayne S T, Subar A F,
Chatterjee N, Johnson C C, Hayes R B (2007), "Prospective study of
fruit and vegetable intake and risk of prostate cancer, Journal of
the National Cancer Institute 99 (15): 1200-9).
[0020] Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed,
microwaved or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves
the potential anti cancer compounds than boiling (Warwick Medical
School, University of Warwick (2007-05-15). "Research Says Boiling
Broccoli Ruins Its Anti Cancer Properties",
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/research_says_boili-
ng/). Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of
20-30% after five minutes, 40-50% after ten minutes, and 75% after
thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods, such as
steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect
on the compounds.
[0021] When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed,
leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most
often discarded. The florets should be broken into similar-sized
pieces so they are cooked evenly.
[0022] Cauliflower may be used as a substitute for rice. Whilst
cauliflower can produce a similar texture, or mouth feel to rice,
it lacks the starch. Owing to the low fat, low carbohydrate and
high nutrient properties of cauliflower, this is particularly
relevant for those restricting dietary intake of carbohydrate, fat
and/or calories or increasing dietary intake of phytochemicals.
Typically, fresh cauliflower curd is processed until it is the size
of rice, either using a food processor, a hand-held grater, or a
knife. This rice-like cauliflower is then cooked using conventional
methods to produce a cooked, rice-like cauliflower derived product,
hereinafter "cauliflower rice".
[0023] However, it is a problem with known methods for producing
cauliflower rice that as soon as the product is produced, it
subsequently begins to discolour and produce odorous volatile
chemicals which are undesirable for the consumer. The product is
therefore unsuitable for prolonged storage.
[0024] Cooked white cauliflower curds begin to discolour to a
variety of colours from tan to pink. The colouration is attributed
to the expression of carotene, chlorophyll and anthocyanins
precursors which are present in orange, green, and purple
cauliflower varieties from genes which are dormant in white
cauliflower prior to cooking.
[0025] It is also known that the black discolouration which may be
observed in processed cauliflower is attributable to the
interaction between polyphenolic compounds in the cells, in
particular flavonols, with an external source of metal ions. Cell
wall destruction is found to be necessary for the interaction
(Advances in Food Research, Volume 19, Emil Marcel Mrak, C. O.
Chichester, George Franklin Stewart, Academic Press, 29 Oct.
1971).
[0026] The characteristic odour associated with cooked cauliflower
is associated with the decomposition products of glucosinolates.
These include alkyl cyanides such as 4-(methylthio)butyl cyanide
and 4-(methylthio)butyl isothiocyanate from glucoerucin and
3-(methylthio)propylcyanide and 3-(methylthio)propylisothiocyanate
from glucoibeverin.
[0027] Some people find the odour and/or taste of certain
vegetables to be unpleasant. Accordingly, a vegetable-based product
that has a reduced odour and/or taste would be advantageous.
Additionally or alternatively, a vegetable-based product that does
not discolour or otherwise deteriorate, degrade or rot for a period
of time upon storage would also be advantageous.
[0028] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is
provided a method for processing vegetables, comprising: [0029] i)
a dicing step comprising subjecting the vegetable to mechanical
size reduction; [0030] ii) a softening step comprising heating or
freezing the vegetable for a pre-determined period; and [0031] iii)
a treatment step comprising bringing the softened vegetable product
into contact with one or more reactive oxygen species selected
from: peroxides; superoxides; and ozone.
[0032] The dicing step suitably reduces the size of the vegetable
to cereal grain sized granules. Suitably, the granules are
rice-sized. In other words, the granules suitably have a long axis
and a short axis and the long axis of the granules suitably has an
average length of about 1 to about 10 mm. In the context of the
present invention, the diced vegetable may be said to have an
average granule size of 1 to 10 mm. In an embodiment of the
invention, the diced vegetable has an average granule size of 3 to
8 mm. This allows the vegetable product to function as a rice
substitute.
[0033] It is the purpose of the softening step to open the fibres
of the vegetable in order to allow penetration of the reactive
oxygen species into the diced vegetable product. Thus, the
softening step increases the permeability of the diced vegetable
product. In one embodiment, the softening step comprises heating
the diced vegetable product for a pre-determined period. In an
alternative embodiment, the softening step comprises freezing the
diced vegetable product for a pre-determined period.
[0034] It will be appreciated that the purpose of the softening
step is to make the vegetable product more permeable to the
reactive oxygen species. The time required to complete the
softening step will therefore depend on the method of heating or
freezing and the size of individual vegetable granules following
the dicing step. Thus, diced vegetable particles having an average
granule size which is relatively small (e.g. 5 mm) will require
less time being subjected to the softening step than diced
vegetable particles having a relatively larger average granule size
(e.g. 10 mm).
[0035] In one embodiment the softening step comprises one or more
conventional cooking methods such as baking, boiling, frying,
steaming, blanching and/or microwaving. The softening step may be
carried out at standard atmospheric pressure (i.e. 1 atmosphere) or
it may be carried out at a pressure which is greater than or less
than atmospheric pressure.
[0036] The heating method used to soften the diced vegetable
product will also affect the time required for the softening step
to be completed. For example, for a given average granule size, a
diced vegetable product which is steamed at atmospheric pressure
would typically require a longer softening step than a diced
vegetable product which is steamed at a pressure that is greater
than atmospheric pressure.
[0037] In a further embodiment, the softening step comprises dry
frying. In a yet further embodiment the softening step comprises
batch dry frying. In a yet further embodiment batch dry frying is
effected using a reversible vibratory conveyor with variable
frequency, fitted with a non stick heated ceramic bed. It is
advantage of this particular embodiment that it results in highly
uniform cooking of the product and the conveyor is able to deliver
the softened vegetable product directly to the treatment step.
[0038] In a further embodiment, the softening step comprises
blanching. In a yet further embodiment the softening step comprises
batch blanching.
[0039] In an alternative embodiment wherein the softening step
comprises freezing the vegetable for a pre-determined period, the
softening step may be carried out at standard atmospheric pressure
(i.e. 1 atmosphere) or it may be carried out at a pressure which is
greater than or less than atmospheric pressure, in particular at a
pressure which is less than atmospheric pressure.
[0040] For the avoidance of doubt, the skilled person will
appreciate that in this specification, the term "reactive oxygen
species" means chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen
including peroxides, superoxides, ozone and hydroxyl.
[0041] In the present invention, the one or more reactive oxygen
species is selected from: peroxides; superoxides; and ozone.
Suitably, the one or more reactive oxygen species is selected from
peroxides and superoxides.
[0042] In one embodiment, the reactive oxygen species is hydrogen
peroxide
[0043] Suitably, the reactive oxygen species is in the form of a
solution. Solution forms of reactive oxygen species are well known,
although in some cases, the reactive oxygen species has a
relatively short life in solution before it breaks down into
degradation products. Thus, the process may include the step of
preparing a solution of a reactive oxygen species prior to the
treatment step.
[0044] In one embodiment the treatment step comprises bringing the
softened vegetable product into contact with hydrogen peroxide
solution. The softened vegetable product is suitably treated with
the reactive oxygen species for a time sufficient for the reactive
oxygen species to penetrate substantially the entire vegetable
granule.
[0045] The vegetable is suitably washed prior to the dicing step.
Thus, the method of the invention may include a washing step. The
washing step may include contacting the vegetable product with a
solution containing an antimicrobial agent. The antimicrobial agent
may comprise a single antimicrobial compound or it may include a
combination of two or more antimicrobial compounds.
[0046] In embodiments where the antimicrobial agent may have a
negative or deleterious effect on the taste of the resultant
product, the washing step may include a rinsing step.
[0047] The method may further include a cooking or pre-cooking step
in which the treated vegetable product is cooked or partially
cooked. In such embodiments, the method suitably also includes a
cooling step to stop the cooking process. The cooling step may be a
rapid cooling step in which the temperature of the treated product
is rapidly reduced in order to cease immediately the cooking
process.
[0048] The cooking or pre-cooking step may be carried out for a
pre-determined period. Thus, the treated product is heated to a
temperature and then maintained at that temperature for the time of
the cooking or pre-cooking step. It will be appreciated that the
time required to the cooking or pre-cooking step will depend upon
the extent to which the product is intended to be cooked
(completely cooked or partially cooked) and also on the cooking
temperature.
[0049] In an embodiment of the invention, the method includes a
packaging step in which the product is placed within a food grade
package. In this embodiment, the amount of the product placed
within each package may be determined by weight or volume. Thus, a
pre-determined weight of the treated product may be placed within a
package during the packaging step or a pre-determined volume of the
treated vegetable product may be placed within the package. The
package is suitably sealed after the treated vegetable product is
located therein.
[0050] In one embodiment, the method includes a packaging step in
which the treated vegetable product is placed in a retort pouch and
the pouch is sealed after the product is located therein. A retort
pouch is a type of food packaging created by aseptic processing,
made from multiple layers of flexible laminate, allowing for the
sterile packaging of a wide variety of food and drink. A retort
pouch is typically a plastic and metal foil laminate pouch that is
used as an alternative to traditional industrial canning
methods.
[0051] In embodiments in which the method includes both a cooking
or pre-cooking step and a packaging step, the cooking step may
occur prior to the packaging step or the packaging step may occur
prior to the cooking (or pre-cooking) step. Furthermore, in
embodiments in which the packaging step is carried out before the
cooking step, the package may be sealed either before the cooking
step or after the cooking step. Thus, the treated vegetable product
may be cooked within a sealed package or it may be cooked in an
open package which is then sealed.
[0052] In one embodiment, the treated vegetable product is sealed
into a retort pouch; the pouch is then heated to 100-150.degree.
C., in particular 115-125.degree. C., for several minutes at
elevated pressure, inside a retort machine or autoclave machine.
The food inside is cooked, similar to pressure cooking. This
process reliably kills commonly occurring microorganisms
(particularly Clostridium botulinum), preventing it from spoiling.
This packaging process is very similar to canning, except that the
package itself is flexible. In an alternative embodiment, the
treated vegetable product is sealed into a metal can; the can is
then heated to 100-150.degree. C., in particular 115-125.degree.
C., for several minutes at elevated pressure.
[0053] Suitably, the method relates to processing cauliflower to
prepare cauliflower rice. Thus, the vegetable may be cauliflower,
suitably cauliflower heads or florets.
[0054] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides
a processed vegetable product prepared according to a method of the
invention. In an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention,
the processed vegetable is cauliflower. In a further embodiment,
the processed vegetable product is cauliflower rice.
[0055] An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way
of example only:
[0056] A method for preparing cauliflower rice comprising the
following steps: [0057] i) basic hand preparation to trim, remove
damaged material and reduce the raw material to half curd heads of
cauliflower. This step ensures that undamaged cauliflower material
at a convenient size proceeds to the next step. [0058] ii)
immersion of half curd heads of cauliflower in a solution of sodium
hypochlorite at approximately 150 ppm available chlorine, with
contact time of 30 minutes. The sodium hypochlorite solution is an
antimicrobial agent. [0059] iii) removal of half curd heads from
the sodium hypochlorite solution with draining under temperature
controlled conditions of 2.degree. C. to 5.degree. C. for 12 hours.
This step removes the sodium hypochlorite and prevents degradation
of the cauliflower material prior to the dicing step. [0060] iv)
mechanical size reduction to cereal grain size granules. These
suitably have an average granule length of between 1 and 10 mm,
suitably 3-8 mm, where the length is determined by the longest
dimension of the granule. [0061] v) batch dry frying of the
granular product to a uniform 85.degree. C. over a period of 240
seconds. This softens the cellular structure of the cauliflower
granules to increase permeability. [0062] vi) immediate batch
immersion of the dry-fried product in a 0.5% solution of hydrogen
peroxide, with a contact time of 10 minutes. This step treats the
cauliflower granules to prevent or minimise subsequent
discolouration and to reduce the characteristic cauliflower smell
and taste. [0063] vii) removal of product from hydrogen peroxide
solution [0064] viii) rinsing or agitated soaking of product in
water for 30 minutes. This step removes the hydrogen peroxide.
[0065] ix) centrifuge or spin dry and store under temperature
controlled conditions of 2.degree. C. to 5.degree. C. for 6 hours
[0066] x) automated filling and sealing into retort pouches at 250
g [0067] xi) retort cooking at 121.degree. C. and 15 psi above
atmospheric pressure for 172 seconds [0068] xii) removal of pouches
from retort [0069] xiii) immediate rapid cooling in chilled water
to stop cooking process.
[0070] A further embodiment of the invention will now be described,
by way of example only:
[0071] A method for preparing cauliflower rice comprising the
following steps: [0072] i) basic hand preparation to trim, remove
damaged material and reduce the raw material to half curd heads of
cauliflower. This step ensures that undamaged cauliflower material
at a convenient size proceeds to the next step. [0073] ii)
immersion of half curd heads of cauliflower in a solution of sodium
hypochlorite at approximately 150 ppm available chlorine, with
contact time of 30 minutes. The sodium hypochlorite solution is an
antimicrobial agent. [0074] iii) removal of half curd heads from
the sodium hypochlorite solution with draining under temperature
controlled conditions of 2.degree. C. to 5.degree. C. for 12 hours.
This step removes the sodium hypochlorite and prevents degradation
of the cauliflower material prior to the dicing step. [0075] iv)
mechanical size reduction to cereal grain size granules. These
suitably have an average granule length of between 1 and 10 mm,
suitably 3-8 mm, where the length is determined by the longest
dimension of the granule. [0076] v) batch blanching of the granular
product to a uniform temperature, depending on season and variety,
of between 57.0.degree. C. and 63.5.degree. C., with a contact
period of 210 seconds. This softens the cellular structure of the
cauliflower granules to increase permeability [0077] vi) immediate
batch immersion of the blanched product in a 0.5% solution of
hydrogen peroxide, with a contact time of 10 minutes. This step
treats the cauliflower granules to prevent or minimise subsequent
discolouration and to reduce the characteristic cauliflower smell
and taste. [0078] vii) removal of product from hydrogen peroxide
solution [0079] viii) rinsing or agitated soaking of product in
water for 30 minutes. This step removes the hydrogen peroxide.
[0080] ix) centrifuge or spin dry and store under temperature
controlled conditions of 2.degree. C. to 5.degree. C. for 6 hours
[0081] x) automated filling and sealing into retort pouches at 250
g [0082] xi) retort cooking at 121.degree. C. and 15psi above
atmospheric pressure for 172 seconds [0083] xii) removal of pouches
from retort [0084] xiii) immediate rapid cooling in chilled water
to stop cooking process.
[0085] It has been found that cauliflower rice prepared according
to the method of the invention has a texture and mouth feel which
is similar to rice, but with a significantly reduced smell and
taste compared to untreated cauliflower in the form of rice-shaped
granules. Furthermore, the sealed packages have a shelf life of at
least 3 month, suitably at least 6 months, suitably at least 12
months.
* * * * *
References